Ephedra sinica (Maou)

Japanese: マオウ(麻黄) - マオウ（英語表記）Ephedra sinica

An evergreen small shrub of the Ephedrae family. Native to northern China and Mongolia. Also called Chinese Ephedra. A grass-like gymnosperm that grows in sandy soil, with a stem 30-70 cm tall and a thick, woody, yellowish-reddish brown rhizome that branches out. The stem is green and slender, resembling a horsetail at first glance, with relatively few branches and many nodes. The leaves are whitish, scaly, and grow opposite each node, with their bases uniting to form a short sheath. Dioecious, the inflorescences grow singly in summer, each with two flowers. Male flowers have 2-4 bracts and 2-4 stamens fused together, while female flowers have the lower parts of the bracts fused together and the ovules exposed. The seeds are blackish brown and enclosed in red fleshy bracts. It is known as a medicinal plant that contains alkaloids; its main component is ephedrine, which is used to induce sweating and reduce fever; the roots and nodes also have anti-ephedrine pharmacological effects and are used as an antiperspirant.

Source: Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia About Encyclopaedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia Information

Japanese:

マオウ科の常緑小低木。中国北部，モンゴルの原産。シナマオウともいう。砂地に生える草状の裸子植物で茎の高さは 30～70cm，根茎は太く木質，黄赤褐色で枝を分つ。茎は一見トクサに似て緑色で細長く，比較的分枝が少く節が多い。葉は白色を帯びた鱗片状で，節ごとに対生し，基部は合体して短い鞘になる。雌雄異株で，夏に花序を単生し，それぞれ2個の花をつける。雄花は包葉片が2～4個，おしべ2～4個が合生し，雌花は包葉片の下部が合生して胚珠は裸出する。種子は黒褐色で，赤く肉質化した包葉に包まれる。アルカロイドを含む薬用植物として知られ，主成分はエフェドリンで発汗，解熱に使われ，また根と節の部分には抗エフェドリンの薬理作用があり，止汗剤とする。

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